Mother
by Rorrim J. Tori
Summary: When the Grand Fisher attacked that night in June, Masaki never would have thought that her son would leave her side. But what else could she do, but to let him move onto the afterlife? Slight AU one-shot.


I know there are a ton of "What would have happened if..." stories already, but I just couldn't get this idea out of my mind. Enjoy

Special thanks to amulet1412 and allure24 for proofreading and making sure this story was not just a huge mess.

Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo

- Rorrim J. Tori

* * *

Mother

It was a rainy afternoon in Karakura Town, when Masaki was walking her son home from his karate class. She looked at him, and smiled; he immediately returned it. After a truck ran into a puddle and splashed them, Ichigo asked to hold her hand as they walked. The rest of the walk was spent in a calm silence; only the sound of rain on empty streets surrounding them was heard.

They had been passing by the river when Ichigo stopped. His hand slipped from hers and he gazed at the river with innocent eyes. Masaki stopped after a few steps, looking at her son with concern.

"Mommy..." The young boy inquired. _That lady. What is she-?_ "Wait here." His eyes widened as he took off across the slippery grass towards the rushing waters.

Masaki saw the girl, staring into her, searching her soul. The girl was slowly stepping towards the river, towards the hungry eyes of a hollow hiding beneath the water's surface.

It was a trap. Her son was heading towards it. He didn't understand the danger. He didn't know.

Her body reacted before her mind did. Dropping the umbrella, she screamed out his name, trying to both get his attention and warn the hollow that the meal would not be so easy to get.

Ichigo had turned quickly when she had yelled. She watched in horror as the sudden motion on the wet ground caused him to fall. Something dark rose up out of the water. She ran faster, but the shore seemed impossibly far away. A second figure appeared between her and her son, human-shaped and dressed in all white from the back. Time slowed down. The figure in front of her raised a sword. The hidden hollow took a couple tentative steps back.

"Stay back Mom!"

She hesitated for a second.

That was all it took.

The afternoon train sped by, drowning out the pain-filled screams of a mother and her dying child.

Masaki cried. Tears flowing down her face as she saw the still form of her nine-year-old child near the bank. His body was wounded greatly and his eyes were wide and empty. Blood covered him and the surrounding grass. The rain had already set to work washing the mess away.

She wasn't sure how long she sat in the rain next to her son.

_I should have told him... I should have told him right then.._

She remembered having a disagreement with her husband Isshin about when to tell their child about the spiritual world, since he had always been able to see ghosts. Isshin had wanted to tell him as soon as possible, but she had wanted to wait.

"_The older he gets, the more he's going to be targeted Masaki. We should just explain everything to him now." Isshin had argued._

_Masaki shook her head. "Isshin. He's _nine. _He's too young to have to worry about that. Just for one more year. Please? One more. Then when he's ten we can tell him about hollows and Shinigamis and __everything."_

Masaki cursed herself for that. "Why hadn't I listened? Why did this have to happen? Why wasn't it me? Why?" A tug on the back of her shirt caused her to freeze for a second.

"Mom? What happened? Why are you crying?"

She turned slowly, unsure if she was imagining things or not. But as she looked behind herself, there was Ichigo. He looked slightly dazed and very confused. But Masaki was so glad he was there.

_Thank goodness! He wasn't eaten by the hollow..._ She breathed a small sigh of relief before more grief washed over her as she knew that her son was still dead. She heard him gasp slightly and she looked up as he poked the chain connected to his small chest.

"M-mom?" Ichigo's voice was full of not-so-hidden panic.

She swiftly reached out and pulled him into a hug.

"Masaki!"

She raised her head at the call. Isshin was running in her direction. He stopped when he was close enough to see his wife hugging the separated soul of Ichigo.

"Oh no. Masaki. I'm so sorry. If only I'd made it earlier. I'm so sorry Ichigo. I'm so sorry..." He knelt down and also embraced the soul, staying there for a few minutes while apologizing. "...Masaki I-"

"I know." She whispered.

"Ichigo. Please come here, it's time to go."

The boy turned slowly; eyes red from trying to hold in tears. He blinked in confusion when his dad's palm started to glow light blue.

"Go where Dad?"

He was trying to decide exactly what had happened. Everything had been so fast. A girl jumping in the water, some giant monster, a very sharp pain in his back, then his mom kneeling next to what looked like him and an annoying chin stuck to him. _What's going on? Did I just... die?_

"You're going to Soul Society. You can't stay here any longer or else more monsters will come." His son flinched slightly at the thought. "Don't worry Ichigo my son. It will be ok. Just look for a person from the Shiba family. Remember that name- Shiba." He wiped a tear from his eye. "See you later, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded slightly. His mom gave him a small kiss on the top of his head and he closed his eyes as his father's palm rested against his forehead. There was a warm feeling and he felt like he was flying. Everything around him was lit with either blue or white as he kept drifting higher and higher. He'd never felt so free. He noticed a butterfly fluttering around him. The black and red wings stood out from the white of everything else. He smiled as everything faded away.

Masaki and Isshin stayed until the last bit of blue light disappeared, taking their son's soul with it. Isshin went to comfort his wife as she cried again. He carefully looked at his son's corpse. It had a lot of flesh viciously torn away from the left side of the back, exposing several ribs. He knew right away it was from a hollow. But something else caught his eye; there was a deeper wound, a clean cut through muscle and bone into his heart, obviously made by a sword. He frowned; it _was_ odd that the hollow hadn't eaten the soul. Something was off. _I'll ask Kisuke about it later._

He slowly helped his wife up and tenderly carried what remained of his son back to the Clinic.

Masaki was slightly curious as to how her husband had performed a konsō when he supposedly had his powers sealed. She guessed the suspicious candy shop owner had to do with it and decided she didn't really care. All that mattered was the bittersweet knowledge that her son was safe in Soul Society now.

They explained what had happened to the young twins, Yuzu and Karin. Yuzu burst into tears immediately. Karin just stood there, too shocked to cry. No one slept that night.

The funeral was held a week later. It was small and only attended by the family and some close friends. The group of mourners slowly filed out of the Karakura cemetery as they paid their final respects to the young boy who died much too soon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ichigo walked through the endless dirt streets. It had been a week that he'd been here and he had realized very quickly that there was no place to get food. Several places had water available but actual food was nowhere to be found. He sighed, feeling the need to sit down. He had woken up in a forest with knowing only a four things.

_My name is Ichigo._

_I'm nine years old._

_I'm in Soul Society._

_I just died._

A day after he had woken up he added another item to the list of things he knew about himself.

_I'm hungry._

Nothing else. It was strange to him, knowing that he was dead but not knowing why or how. He had no clues as to his life. He didn't even remember his last name.

_I'm supposed to look for someone named 'Shiba'_

Ichigo stood up quickly then regretted it as the blood rushed away from his head. "So... hungry..." He waited for the headache to pass. Shiba. Someone had told him to find a person named Shiba. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to find anyone here. There were so many people living in such crowded houses. He looked up at the sky; it was getting dark. Sighing, he headed back to the forest he first woke up in.

There was a small rocky cliff near a stream that held a cave just big enough for him to fit comfortably in. He had decided it was better than trying to find a place in the over-crowded town.

A small, round object hitting his face awoke the boy. It was a peach, soft and ripe and looking absolutely delicious. He was about to bite into it when an arm reached into the cave. He yelped in surprise and the arm was instantly withdrawn and replaced by a man's face.

The face was square and angular with extremely prominent cheek bones and a thin mustache. His eyes were small and he wore a strange red hat with a feather over his bald head. His shirt was white and a blue scarf was fastened around his neck.

"Uwah!" The larger man said. "Small boy! What are you doing in a cave in this forest?"

Ichigo was slightly stunned by the sudden appearance. "Umm... I live here now…." He felt awkward talking to him. He hadn't actually talked to anyone for the entire week that he'd been in Soul Society. Some part of him kept warning him not to talk to strangers but here, _everyone_ was a stranger. He lifted the peach to his mouth again, ready to eat it.

"Wait!" The man shouted. "Don't eat that! Master Shiba requested peaches for the evening meal and it's not good when the Master's orders are not fulfilled!"

"Shiba?" The name caught his interest. "I'm looking for a Shiba! Umm... Can you move please so I can get out of this cave? It's kinda cramped in here." The man stepped back a couple feet, allowing Ichigo to exit. As he stepped into the dawn light, the other man drew a quick breath. "Something wrong?"

"N-not at all. I shall take you to Master Shiba right away."

Ichigo shrugged off the odd reaction and placed the single peach in the large barrel being carried by the man. He knew his hair was an odd color. Even in Soul Society it stood out. They walked for a while before Ichigo realized that he had no idea who this person was. "I'm Ichigo by the way."

"Shiroganehiko." The large man answered. "At the house you'll meet my brother, Koganehiko."

The silence was once again broken by Ichigo as he tried to calm his growling stomach. "Umm... Shiroganehiko-san? Are you sure I can't have just _one_ of those peaches? I'm _really_ hungry and no one sells food around here."

He responded without turning around. "I'm sorry Ichigo-kun. This specific dish requires a precise number of peaches to make it. We'll get you something as soon as we've arrived-" A soft thud came from behind him. He turned to see the boy had collapsed from exhaustion and hunger. Shiroganehiko stared at the young boy. He carefully plucked Ichigo from the ground and draped him over his shoulder as he continued to the Shiba house.

Kukaku Shiba was sitting outside, leaning against the stone arms that framed her house. The shade was cool and her one good arm rested behind her head.

"Miss Shiba!" Shiroganehiko's voice called out. He was still far away but coming closer quickly. She quickly noticed the orange blob that rested on his shoulder. When he came closer she realized the blob was a person's hair. "Miss Shiba! This is-"

"I know." She cut him off, holding up a piece of paper folded into an origami flower. "I got Yoruichi's letter yesterday. So this is Ichigo huh? Why's he knocked out?"

"Oh… He fainted from hunger. It's surprising really, he's only been here a week and he's already half-starved."

Kukaku stood up and sighed. "Well, we should probably get dinner ready then."

Ichigo awoke to the scent of food cooking. He was in a small bed on the floor. A light blue kimono was sitting folded next to him on the floor along with a peach. He grabbed the peach and ate it quickly before looking around the room. It was fairly plain, only a few pictures hung on the walls.

A person that looked like Shiroganehiko but with a smaller chin and more sloping jaw entered the room. "Hello Ichigo-kun. I am Koganehiko. If you are ready, dinner is being served." At the mention of food, Ichigo was up in an instant.

Over dinner, Ichigo learned about the Shiba family and more about Soul Society. From what he saw, Auntie Kukaku, she had told him he could call her that, was not a person he wanted to make angry. Ganju seemed pretty funny. He's even offered to let Ichigo ride Bonnie, his boar.

They had explained to him that people in Soul Society lived in small 'families' inside houses. They had asked him if he would like to stay with them. He agreed. Living with other people in a house sure beat sleeping in a cave, and he thought Ichigo Shiba had a nice ring to it.

"Umm... Auntie Kukaku?" Ichigo asked. It was nighttime, his adoptive caretaker was sitting outside smoking her pipe.

"Yes Ichigo?"

"About the Shinigamis you mentioned... How do you become one?"

She paused for a second. Neither she nor Ganju had mentioned their older brother Kaien to the young boy. They didn't want to scare him. She looked at the young soul, curiosity shone in his brown eyes. "In order to become a Shinigami, you have to go to a special school that teaches you how to carry out the jobs."

"Oh." he sat down beside her, staring at a firefly that had wandered over to them. "Auntie... do you think that I could become a Shinigami?"

She sighed again. She had expected this question to come up eventually, but not so soon. "I think that you can do anything you put your mind to." She looked down at him, smiling as she realized that he had fallen asleep. She carefully picked him up and carried him to his new room.

"Is this the right thing to do, Kaien?" She whispered uncertainly into the night air.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Ichigo sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Over the six years that had passed since he arrived in Soul Society, his hair was the one thing to stay the same. He'd grown during the four years spent at the academy. Many guessed it was because of his rapid growth of power. Not that he minded either, he realized it would be easier to fight and gain respect if he at least looked more like an adult.

Time was complicated in Soul Society, and Ichigo had run into trouble when he had applied for a seated position. They had asked him his age. He wasn't sure which amount of years he should use; nine for his age when he died or five for how long he'd been in Soul Society at that time. He eventually decided on fourteen, it was closer to his looks anyway.

_I guess that would make me fifteen now?_

"Ichigo!" He turned to see a short black haired girl staring up at him.

"Hey Rukia!" He smiled. They had met the day after Ichigo had been accepted into the eighth division. He had still been clueless as to where everything was and got turned around easily in the maze-like corridors. He had gotten lost and she was the only person around to ask for directions. She had almost immediately started crying and apologizing, calling him 'Kaien-dono' and causing much confusion for Ichigo. But after that, they had become friends and helped each other with work often.

Ichigo had eventually figured out about Kaien from Rukia. He had seen pictures of the man back when he had been living with Kukaku, but she never mentioned him and Ichigo never asked. He tried to persuade Rukia to talk to Kukaku about it, but he didn't think she ever did.

"Ichigo, I've been looking everywhere for you! Your Captain wants to see you. Nanao wanted me to pass on the memo if I found you."

"Why? Now? What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm on break today." Rukia just shrugged so he headed towards the captain's quarters and knocked lightly on the door. Hearing his Captain's call, he pushed open the door and stepped in.

Kyoraku was sitting on the floor drinking sake and looking after his plants. He smiled when the boy came in.

"Hello Ichigo. Thanks for coming!"

"Hi Kyoraku-taichou! Why did you want to see me?"

The captain laughed softly at this. "Oh Ichigo, relax a bit. I'm not here to scold you. I'm offering you a job."

"A... job?" Ichigo could only stare at the man. "But Taichou, I've been in your division for only about a year. Usually it's two years before-"

He was silenced by the captain who was giving him a sly smile. "That may be so, Ichigo Shiba... But _usually_ souls are in Soul society at least a decade before joining the academy. _Usually_ it takes six years, not four, to graduate and _usually_ it takes even longer for a newbie to gain a spot as a ranking officer, especially a ninth seat!" He paused and took another drink of sake. "What I'm saying is that you've got talent kid. I felt that blast of energy all the way over here when you first activated shikai."

Ichigo looked down at the ground, unsure of how to take all this praise. "Ok. I get your point. What job do you want me to do?"

Shunsui smiled at the teen. "Well, you'll be stationed in the world of the living for a couple of days to help souls and purify hollows."

"Okay, where will I be stationed? And when do I leave?"

"Where? Karakura Town. As for the when, Tomorrow morning if you're ready for it."

Ichigo nodded as he was dismissed. _Karakura Town huh? I think I can handle it._ He reached up and his fingers brushed Zangetsu's wrapped hilt. The whole blade seemed to hum with warmth and energy.

He headed out of Seireitei and into the wilderness, heading to the Shiba house hoping that it hadn't changed locations in the five years since he had last lived there. It turned out they hadn't. Kukaku was in the yard, setting of experimental fireworks when he arrived. She smiled and waved at him. He returned both gestures.

"Hey Ichigo! It's been a while. I see you've made it through the academy already. What division are you in?"

"Eighth. Kyoraku is my captain." Ichigo scratched the back of his head. For him, it felt odd to be taller than Kukaku. The last time he'd seen her, his head reached just over her waist line. He realized that she was looking distracted so he asked what was wrong.

"Nothing's wrong... It's just that..."

"-I look like Kaien, I know." Ichigo shrugged, it was a bit odd to look like someone whom was dead that he had never known, but he was used to it. She looked startled at him. "I can understand why you didn't tell me. You didn't want to scare me out of joining the academy. My friend Rukia told me, she was with Kaien on that night. She _really_ regrets not doing more to help him."

There was silence before the door was thrown open by Ganju.

"Sis! Sis! We're-" He paused when he saw Ichigo. "I-Ichigo? Is that you? What happened?"

"Um... I grew?"

"What are you doing here? You haven't visited in so long! Bonnie missed you!"

Ichigo sighed; Ganju was as crazy as ever. At first he had been against the idea of Ichigo becoming a Shinigami. He had disliked them ever since his brother died. But apparently Rukia _had_ talked to them and he had come to accept the Shinigamis. "Well, I'm actually here to say goodbye. I've been assigned a position in Karakura Town and am leaving tomorrow."

"Really? Already?" Ganju asked, surprised.

Kukaku reached over and ruffled his hair. "You go beat up some hollows now. Will you be staying the night?"

"If it's not any trouble..."

"Of course it's not! You live here!" Kukaku gave him a small slap on the shoulder and laughed.

The night air was cool. Fireflies darted around the forest, seemingly invisible until they illuminated and made themselves known. Ichigo sat among the trees near the cave where he spent his first week in Soul Society.

"Ichigo." The teen jumped as Kukaku was suddenly behind him. She was looking serious as she sat down against a tree across from him. "There's something else I need to tell you. You said that you were headed to Karakura Town right?" He nodded. "There's a person there, my cousin actually. He left the Shiba family and made his own name. From the last that I heard, he lives there still. I don't know how he would react to you, so I'm just notifying you."

Ichigo was silent for a while. _There was another Shiba? In the town he was assigned to? _"Umm, sure I guess. What does he look like?"

Kukaku produced a picture from somewhere and handed it to him. It was a tall, sturdy-built man with black hair that spiked upwards. He had a small beard lining his chin and wore a goofy smile. Kaien was laughing next to him in the photograph. Ichgio memorized the person's face before handing the picture back to Kukaku.

They sat and watched the skies until the first light of dawn.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Masaki Kurosaki walked home from the market, Yuzu trailing behind her. It was a wonderful bright morning. Everything felt relaxed and natural. The two had decided that it would be a good day to run some errands early so that the rest of the day could be enjoyed.

But even with the perfect weather, a cloud still hung over both their heads. It was June sixteenth. The day before the Kurosakis lost Ichigo. Though it had been a few years, the house was still empty without the boy.

"What kind of flowers should we buy this year Yuzu?" Masaki sighed, she couldn't believe Yuzu and Karin were eleven already, time seemed to pass so quickly. As they had planned to do with Ichigo, they had told the twins of the spiritual world and of the true fate of their brother as soon as they knew that could handle the truth. The entire family knew that Ichigo was in Soul Society but still held a small memorial service on the day he died, just for tradition's sake.

The brunette thought for a few seconds before answering. "I don't know. Why don't we stop by the florist and see what they have?"

Setting a course for the local flower shop they walked along in silence. The florist was a small shop run by an elderly couple. They were very nice and always had the best flowers in town. As soon as they stepped in the door, the kind old man showed them to the display case. They exited a few minutes later with a bouquet of white orchids. Arriving home, Masaki placed them in a vase to keep them fresh while Yuzu went to watch TV with Karin.

Pouring a cup of coffee, Masaki stepped outside to try to enjoy the weather. Her husband silently appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around his trembling wife.

"Shhh... Masaki. Everything will be fine." He whispered comfortingly.

"How do you know that everything will be fine?" A few tears ran down her face; she didn't stop them.

"Because this is Ichigo we're talking about." He smiled, trying to cheer his wife up. "He's our son and he's doing fine. We know that he's in Soul Society anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already in the academy! No, he could probably skip the academy! He's probably already nominated as a captain!" By the end of his speech, Masaki was laughing softly at her husband's theatrics.

"You're right. Besides, he would never want to see me sad, would he." Masaki smiled slightly, knowing that she should be happy for Ichigo now instead of feeling sorry that she couldn't help him years ago.

"Of course my love." Isshin guided her back inside as Yuzu called out that she wanted to help her mother cook.

The dinner was quiet; as the family ate they tried to hold back the flood of emotions that came with the day after June sixteenth.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

_It's June sixteenth. The day before I awoke in Soul _Society. Ichigo thought as he stood above the small town of Karakura. There was a strange sense of nostalgia as he gazed over the buildings. Dropping down to the ground, he began to walk around and try to get a feel of where things were. He realized that the task was easier than he had expected. It was slightly unnerving to him though; he would be walking down a road, thinking _This would be a nice place for a restaurant_, and at the corner would be a restaurant, just like he was thinking. He shook his head, trying to clear the strange sense of deja-vu.

The hollow that appeared just after noon helped him clear his mind. After that, not much happened so he found a tree in a nearby park and slept under it, waking at dawn.

He found a soul wandering around the park, an elderly lady whom he sent off to Soul Society. Another soul was found near the edge of the river that cut through the town. The young girl apparently claimed to have fallen in the water and drowned a few months ago when she tried to retrieve her paper boat. He helped her cross over too. After the light of the soul burial faded, he gazed at the river. A sense of dread and panic seeped into his veins as he watched the water rush by. The feeling confused him, but he left anyway.

The remaining part of the morning was spent wandering and observing the lives of the people. One group he found oddly intriguing, a family of four that seemed to be heading towards the local cemetery. The mother was walking calmly, holding the hand of a young girl with light brown hair that was holding back tears. A girl looking the same age but with black hair was walking with her hands in her pockets. The dad ran by quickly, trying to lighten the somber mood, but resulting in the black haired girl kicking him back down the hill so Ichigo didn't get a good look at the man.

Their destination did turn out to be the cemetery. Having nothing better to do at the moment, he lazily watched them. _Would this be considered stalking?_ He wondered silently. He shrugged,_ It's not like they could see me anyways I guess..._

So he watched as they placed flowers on a headstone, saying a small prayer to whoever had died while they burned incense. Ichigo was happy to see people paying respect to the dead, it wasn't only a kind gesture but it also showed earthbound spirits that they were remembered, slowing the corrosion rate on the chain. _I wonder if I had a family that mourned for me..._ _I wonder if they still mourn._ Ichigo tried not to think what he had been like before he died. Entering Soul Society cleansed a person's memories. For all he knew, he could have been a hollow before waking up in Soul Society!

The family stayed fairly late, leaving when a light drizzle started to fall. Ichigo decided to see if there were any souls in the cemetery that could use a burial. After the family left he silently dropped down to the ground, walking among the rows of stone monuments. Out of curiosity he headed to the grave that the family had visited. He stopped when he read the carved name.

Ichigo Kurosaki

A Protector

He read the date, June seventeenth, six years ago. The teen stumbled back. Was it only coincidence? Something inside him told him differently. _Is...Is this...me? Is this the place I lived in? Was that my family? Did I just watch my own memorial service or something? What's going on!?_

The sound of a hollow roaring across town was welcoming to him for once. Without the distraction, he doubted he would have moved from that spot for a long time. Grabbing his sword, he launched himself into the air.

About halfway home Masaki realized her purse was missing and headed back towards the cemetery. The sight that had greeted her made her freeze. A young man having orange hair and clothed in black was standing in front of her son's grave. He looked troubled and slightly unnerved. She knew instantly that it was Ichigo. She faintly heard the scream of a hollow before her son vanished.

She grabbed her purse from the ground and sprinted home.

"I saw him Isshin! I saw him!" She barely waited to open the door and pull Isshin outside to start talking. Even then, Isshin couldn't make heads nor tails of her story, she was talking so fast.

"Whoa there Masaki! Slow down... Who did you see?"

She tried to slow her words to a comprehensible level, "Ichigo. I know it was him, even if he looked older. He was in the cemetery. He was-" She paused, realizing something. Her son had been clothed in what looked like a black kimono, a giant blade strapped to his back. She was surprised that she hadn't put the pieces together sooner. "...He was a Shinigami."

Isshin looked hesitant; his voice was quiet and serious. "Are you certain?"

"Of course I am. I know it was him, Isshin. He's _here_ and we could-"

"No Masaki." Isshin whispered. "We shouldn't confront him. Just let him do his job."

The small flicker of hope she'd acquired was drowned under a sudden wave of despair and confusion. "Why not Isshin? It's our son! I don't think he would mind a visit from his family. He might be wanting to see us, but unsure of how to do so."

"Masaki. It's not him I'm worried about... It's you." He lightly gripped her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "It's best if you just stay away from him. He's a Shinigami now, I hate to say it like this but- he's not human currently. He died. He's a soul; A very powerful soul, but still a soul."

"I don't care Isshin! He's my son! I will see him!"

Isshin sighed, knowing that he couldn't convince his wife otherwise. "Masaki. if you do meet him, be prepared for any possibility. Dying can... do things... to a person. It changes them sometimes-"

"What _doesn't_ change is that he is my child!" Masaki looked defiantly into Isshin's dark eyes.

"I'm just saying what you find might be different than your expectations." He dropped his arms and walked back into the house, leaving Masaki alone to sort out her thoughts.

_Could he really have changed so much Isshin?_

The next day only brought bitterness as everyone was forced back to their usual routine that no one liked. It was a sour reminder to the family that the rest of the world didn't care about such an unimportant death. The twins still had to attend school, Patients still turned up to the clinic, and housework still needed done.

It was hard for Masaki to focus on anything with the idea that her son was here and she couldn't visit him. She sighed, _It could be worse; I could have no spiritual power and be unable to see him either. I could be ignorant about Soul Society and not know where he went._ But they were only small comforts.

After the housework was done, Masaki took a walk to clear her head. She walked without an idea of a destination and found herself at the river, near where her son had lost his life. She closed her eyes, remembering the terror of seeing her child killed by a hollow. _No,_ she thought, _There was someone else there, a man with a sword. Isshin mentioned something about the wound being too clean for a hollow... What exactly happened?_

She started walking again, this time heading for the place she last saw her son. The cemetery was empty. Masaki was so engrossed with her thoughts the dark laugh barely registered before she was thrown sideways. Pain exploded in her right arm as she attempted to catch her fall. She heard the laugh once more and turned. A hollow towered over her, its mask grinning at her in delight.

"Wonderful!" It laughed, a strange lure-like thing bobbing around in front of it as it spoke. "I've always had a preference for women." A red, four-fingered hand pinned her to the ground as the monster's greenish fur twisted into spikes.

Masaki struggled against the hollow's grasp. "Go away!" She knew it was useless to yell at a hollow but she wasn't giving up without a fight.

The hollow's voice was filled with amusement. "Oh? You can see me? Great! You will be very delicious." The spikes in its fur launched at her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the painful impact, but none came.

"I made it." A voice whispered in front of her she looked up. Ichigo was standing there, panting slightly and holding the oversized sword up with one hand to block the deadly attack. He quickly glanced at her, checking for injuries.

The hollow stared at the newcomer with amusement. "Oh? Who are you? Wait! That doesn't matter because soon you'll be dead! You can't beat me, Shinigami! "

With a lightning fast move, he had sliced the spikes as well as the arm holding down Masaki. The hollow roared in pain. "I'll tell you who I am anyways, okay? Remember it well! I am from the Gotei Thirteen Court Guard, Eighth division's ninth seat, Ichigo Shiba."

Masaki hastily crawled to a safe distance away from the fight. She listened to Ichigo's voice, taking in every word. His brown eyes were lit with determination and layered with hatred for the hollow. She was slightly scared by this. It was an expression she had never seen on her son's face. _Is this what Isshin was warning me about? And did he say his name was Shiba?_

In the time she had been thinking, Ichigo had been furiously slicing away at the hollow. Unfortunately, the thick fur of the beast was making it difficult for him to land a good hit. Grand Fisher suddenly jumped back, bringing a hand up to the lure on its head. Ichigo had heard about the hollow's peculiar ability and tried to reach it before it could use said ability. The default skin of his lure was a girl with short, straight black hair and dead eyes. The hollow's other hand reached up to alter the lure.

Before he could, a scream was heard from a little ways away. Both fighters turned to see the light haired woman that had been targeted earlier.

"You!' She yelled, standing slowly. "You were the one! I remember that lure, I remember that girl! You're the hollow that killed my child!" She was sobbing as she yelled.

"How dare you!" Ichigo yelled. "That's despicable! You're despicable, Grand Fisher! You and all other hollows alike!" A new spark of anger flared up inside Ichigo. Looking at the woman, he noted that she had quite a bit of spiritual power. The fact that she identified the monster as a hollow didn't go unnoticed by him either. _She looks familiar, _he thought quickly. He had just enough time to remember her as the mother from the family he had watched earlier when a claw struck him in the side.

Ichigo stumbled back, cursing under his breath. '_You're being careless, Ichigo. Focus on your fight,'_ he heard Zangetsu whisper in the back of his head and calmed his mind; letting everything fall away until it was just him and the Grand Fisher.

He lunged again, dodging a fatal attack and gaining a small scratch on his left shoulder. The attacks were coming faster. The hollow smiled again and threw its lure in front of itself, its right hand letting go of it to reveal a new face. Ichigo stopped, and he hated himself for it. Rukia was staring at him.

_No it's not Rukia._

Her deep purple eyes dragging him closer.

_It's not really her._

"Ichigo?" Her voice was shaking, he was obviously scaring her.

_It's not real darn it! Snap out of it!_

The hollow smiled behind the lure, waiting for the perfect time to strike. It readied a clawed hand to deal the fatal blow and claim another soul.

Masaki couldn't stand to watch any longer. She didn't know the person that was being imitated on the lure, but obviously Ichigo did. Somewhere in Masaki's mind, she knew something was wrong. Her son hadn't smiled at her when he had looked at her. _Maybe he thought I couldn't see him since he's a Shinigami?_ She knew it was farfetched, even as a child he had known that his "gift" of seeing spirits was shared with his mother. She decided it was just because he was preoccupied with the battle.

Ichigo saw the strike coming; he knew that the hollow was cowardly hiding behind the lure that acted like a shield. He knew that, even though it was an illusion, he couldn't hurt Rukia. So he did the only thing he could think of doing. He grabbed "Rukia" and pulled it, cradling the lure close to him in a one-armed hug. His other arm swept downwards and cut the line connecting the lure to the main body of the hollow. He carried through with the motion, ending with his sword lodged deeply in the hollow's shoulder.

Screaming in pain and pure agony, Grand Fisher retaliated by running the annoying Shinigami though with a clawed hand.

Masaki nearly fainted at the sight of the claws sticking out of her son's back.

Ichigo tried to ignore the pain and ripped his sword free. He felt the sharp claws leave his body and watched the hollow flee to Hueco Mundo. The lure that he held in his arms broke apart and followed. It was silent after that. Slowly, Ichigo felt the rest of the world come back to him. It was late afternoon, almost evening. _Wow, that was a long fight,_ he thought. As the adrenaline high from the battle wore off his injuries started to actually hurt. He was on the ground before he could stop himself.

"Ichigo!" Masaki yelled. She couldn't believe Ichigo had been able to stand as long as he did after obtaining wounds to that degree. She ran over to him when he fell and sat down, placing his head in her lap and not caring if her clothes became stained with blood. "Ichigo? Are you ok?"

He looked up at her, his eyes blurry but slightly startled. His voice was weak and strained, blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. "You can... see me?" She nodded, trying to hold back tears. "Why are you crying?"

The question set Masaki over the edge, it was the same thing he had asked her when he had died and left for Soul Society. She looked down to see that his eyes were slowly closing as his breathing became slower. She started to panic. _No! I can't let him die! Not now! Not when I've just found him!_ She let her tears fall as the hugged his shoulders, bringing him into a slight sitting position. A small noise caused her to pause; she placed her head against his chest. She was both relieved and confused by the steady heartbeat she heard. The small sound came again and she moved to look at his face. He was asleep.

She would have laughed at herself for panicking if Ichigo wasn't still injured. With some effort, Masaki picked her son up and headed to the clinic.

Isshin got up from his desk as he heard a knock at the door. _Darn! Can't anybody read the 'Closed' sign on the door?_ On the other side of the door was his wife, carrying an injured young man. Isshin instantly noticed the bright hair. "Masaki...!" He didn't know what to say. Luckily, his wife started talking for him.

"Isshin. I was attacked by a hollow. Ichigo saved me. He's hurt, Isshin. What was I supposed to do?"

Isshin sighed and gave in after a moment of thought. He set the bleeding man down on a sterile table and removed his kosode and shitagi. The wound was bad but not imminently fatal. Blood-loss was Isshin's biggest worry. But he was able to easily bandage the wound. After insuring that his son was okay, he looked at the torn Shinigami uniform. A small insignia was embroidered on the inside- a Bird of Paradise flower.

_So, Kyoraku huh?_ Isshin laughed softly, remembering the drunken captain.

"I left his sword back at the cemetery; I couldn't carry it back with me." Masaki appeared behind him, smiling softly. "I don't even know if I could carry it now..."

Isshin looked at Masaki a second before smiling. I'll go get it. Then I'll drop by Urahara's. I need to ask him something." He gave his wife a small kiss before heading out into the night.

The graveyard was not scary or haunting at night. Isshin actually thought it looked peaceful, lit by countless flickering lanterns. It was easy to find the site of the battle, the exerted reiatsu was still heavy in the air. It took even less time for Isshin to locate the sword. It was magnificent, a huge slightly-curved blade laying on the ground and bathed in moonlight.

_This is his sword? _Isshin knelt down, sure enough, the weapon practically glowed with Ichigo's power. Isshin carefully grasped the wrapped hilt, feeling the sword instantly go cold beneath his fingers, the energy retreating back inside the weapon. Frowning, he picked up the sword anyway.

It was a shikai release. Isshin knew that, he was slightly confused as to why it hadn't sealed itself after Ichigo had been knocked out. Shrugging, he rested the sword on his shoulder and headed for Kisuke's shop.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

Ichigo awoke in an odd room. The ceiling was white, the walls immaculate of any dirt. The scent of chemicals and medicine was strong. If he kept his eyes closed, he could have imagined himself to be in the squad four barracks. But he wasn't.

He bolted upright and was immediately alert, the dull pain in his abdomen causing him to wince. Bandages were wrapped around his torso, stopping the bleeding as the wound reopened slightly. The Shinigami was completely on guard. Someone had healed him; but he was still in the World of the Living.

Whoever helped him could see him and was therefore powerful.

Another sudden shock came to him as he realized that his zanpakutō was nowhere in sight. Though he did see his kosode repaired and neatly folded at the end of the bed. He looked around the room once more, no one was there. A small breeze alerted him to an open window. Grabbing his uniform he jumped out and onto the roof. He sat down, pulling on the shitagi and wrapping the kosode around his shoulders.

The foot that kicked into his back was unexpected. The force sent him off the edge of the roof, reflexes instantly kicked in and he caught himself in the air. Using the air like a spring, he shot himself back towards the attacker, connecting solidly with something and pinning it to the ground with his weight.

"What was that for? Who do you think you are?! Attacking people randomly and... wait... " Ichigo really looked at the person for the first time. It was a middle-aged man with short black hair and a small beard. The most confusing thing about him was the Shinigami uniform he was wearing and the haori attached to his left shoulder. "...Who are you anyways, and why do you look so familiar?"

Isshin's eyes widened slightly. _He recognizes me? Does he remember me? Hasn't too much time passed? It could be that he's only confused because I'm in my uniform... How much does he really remember?_

Ichigo was racking his brain. Trying to figure out where he had seen this man's face before and why there even _was_ another Shinigami in Karakura Town. Then he remembered what Kukaku had said. _"There's a person there, my cousin actually. He left the Shiba family and made his own name." _Then it all clicked. It was the man from the picture, Kukaku's cousin. Still slightly unsure, Ichigo stood, allowing the possible Shiba to move again. "You... wouldn't happen to be from the Shiba family, would you?"

Isshin blinked in surprise before smiling. "Well, it's been a while that someone has called me _that_."

"So you are?"

"I go by Isshin Kurosaki now. This is my house. If you're wondering, my wife found you injured and brought you here. I healed you up." He stood and held out his hand, smiling brightly. Ichigo ignored the attempt at a handshake and narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking.

_Kurosaki? Was he the other guy at the cemetery on the seventeenth? Does he know that Ichigo?_

Just to break the ice – and hopefully to get some information – Isshin asked, "So who are you?"

"Eighth Division ninth seat, Ichigo Shiba." While Isshin stood there shocked, a glint from behind Isshin caught the teen's attention. His sword was laying on the roof, still splattered with blood from the hollow. "Zangetsu..." Ichigo whispered in relief.

"Zangetsu? That you sword's name? Why is it in constant shikai?" Isshin questioned. He was still surprised at what his son had said. _Ninth seat? He got a seated position only after six years?_

After retrieving his sword, Ichigo just turned and shrugged. "It's always been like that. After I released it the first time, I haven't been able to seal it back up."

"How long have you been on active duty?"

"Only about a year. I spent a year with Kukaku before enrolling in the academy and graduated in four years."

There was a short, peaceful silence interrupted only by the insects.

"Would you like to stay here?" Isshin wasn't sure why he even suggested it, and Ichigo looked skeptical.

"Thanks, but I should get going." and with a burst of shunpo, he was gone.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

Ichigo was worried that he was going to lose it. Everywhere he went, he felt like he'd been there before. He sometimes thought he recognized the townspeople. He had seen an unknown dark-haired teenage girl and instantly knew that she was good at hand-to-hand combat. Then there was the curious grave that might possibly be his. It gave him all a headache. _Why is everything so familiar? _

Somehow he ended up at the river, a place he hadn't gone to since the first day he'd arrived. The same sense of panic swept over him. Something had happened here, something bad. Against his better judgment the sat down and forced himself to calm down.

He heard someone coming towards him, but didn't care. He was a soul after all, he couldn't bee seen. But the curiously high reiryoku of the person piqued his intrest. Ichigo sat up, looking at the woman he had saved from the Grand Fisher. She was just standing there, watching him, he somehow didn't find it disturbing.

"Hello, Ichigo." Masaki whispered cautiously. Isshin had told her that the soul burial had wiped her son's memory, but she needed to be sure of it, so she came to find him.

Looking slightly startled Ichigo replied, "How do you know my name?"

_It's true... _she thought sadly. _He doesn't even recognize me..._ She thought about telling him the truth, letting him know that his family still loved him. But she realized that he looked happy and content, he had moved on from it. _I should move on too..._ "Isshin is my husband, he told me. I'm the one who carried you to our clinic after you were injured."

"Oh." He turned his attention back to the setting sun. "Are you doing okay? That hollow hit you pretty hard. I was afraid that I hadn't made it in time to save you. Grand Fisher is a nasty hollow... What's wrong?" He paused, noticing tears in the woman's eyes.

"That hollow... I'm sure of it, he caused the death of my child." She sat down next to him. She knew it was awkward to talk about her dead son _to_ her dead son, but she just wanted to talk to him. "It was right along this stretch of river. He was nine." She didn't notice Ichigo's eyes widen at the information.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He finally said.

The woman wiped away a small tear. "It's okay. He's happy now."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow slightly. "How do you know?"

Masaki smiled as she stood up to head back home. "It's just a feeling I have."

The sun was setting, casting a beautiful red-pink glow on everything; a final farewell present before the moon took over the sky. The terror and dread had left Ichigo long before, and a calm peacefulness replaced it. Completely relaxed, he leaned back and tried to rest.

Horrid dreams and visions haunted his sleep, each accompanied by a sharp pain like a knife being slowly sliced through him.

He was running, and Grand Fisher's lure was in front of him. A woman behind him was screaming out his name.

He tripped and fell for what could have been an eternity.

Something appeared behind him. Ichigo caught a glimpse of a person wearing glasses, smiling cruelly and readying his sword.

The woman was coming closer, he yelled at her to stay back. It was too dangerous where he was.

The sword swung forward a split second before the hollow lunged.

A train swept by, drowning out his screams.

Pain. So much pain.

The woman was hugging him, crying.

Everything faded to white and blue as his feet left the ground.

The pain stopped.

He was set free.

Ichigo's eyes snapped open, trying to purge the images from his mind. He gasped for breath. Sometime during the night it had started raining, he was soaked and terrified. His mind searching for anything to grab on to. "What was _that?_" He spoke almost silently. "Was that... my memories? Did I... did I really die here? Right near this spot?" It was too much for him to take, his brain was unable to process any of the information. He felt himself breaking apart under the sudden strain. A burst of energy pulled him into his inner world where he collapsed from mental exhaustion. He hoped Zangetsu wouldn't be too mad at him for causing another rainstorm.

_.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-._

Isshin knew when the hollow arrived in the eastern Karakura Park, but chose to ignore it. _Ichigo will get it. _When the hollow was still roaring ten minutes later and he could sense no fight, Isshin started to get worried again.

"Masaki?"

"Yes Isshin?"

"You said that you talked to Ichigo last night right?" He was trying to pinpoint his son's location but his reiatsu was thick and hung over the entire town like a thick fog. "Where did you last see him?"

Suddenly worried, Masaki looked up from the book she was reading to her husband. "By the river. Why?"

"I can't locate him, and there's a hollow that needs to be taken care of."

"You get the hollow. I think I know where he is." She stood and rushed out the door.

Sure enough, he was at the cemetery, staring at his grave with empty eyes. He hadn't been sure how he got there, his mind was blurred and slow. The whole scenario was starting to seem more like just a weird nightmare than a memory. For one thing, no Shinigami knew about their lives, they occasionally remember times and places of their deaths, but even that was usually faint. _And who was that other person there? __It had to be just a dream, It couldn't be true._

But even as he thought this, the woman came into view. The woman from his dream, the woman who had visited the shrine on June seventeenth. The woman who he had saved from the Grand Fisher. She walked towards him slowly, smiling sadly.

"Ichigo..."

"I... protected you... back then... right?" His voice sounded broken and lost, even to himself. He _had_ to know.

She knew that he wasn't talking about saving her a couple of days ago. She ran over and hugged him, unable to express her emotions with words. "Yes, Ichigo. You did. I never got to thank you for that. I've missed you so much..."

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back far enough to look at her. "Who are you anyway? Why do you know me? Why was I protecting you?"

Masaki felt oddly calm. She suddenly understood what Isshin had been telling her about all this time. _Should I really tell him? He has a life in Soul Society now... It's time to let go._ "Ichigo... That doesn't matter now, it's in the past. You should-"

"Please."

She couldn't stand to see him like this, panicked and lost. She gave in and started talking. "You always wanted to protect people; you friends, your family... You put yourself in danger, and told me not to come closer. If I had, I could have saved you. If I hadn't hesitated, you would have lived...I'm so sorry about that." She raised her head to look into his eager eyes. "You were the best son any mother could have asked for."

Shock and surprise spread across his face as the information sank in. Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense, the puzzle falling together perfectly. After a pause, he smiled and looked up at the sky. "I see... I did live here. So that group of people who came here on the seventeenth were-"

"Your family. Karin and Yuzu are doing fine, although I guess you don't remember them either."

Ichigo shook his head slightly but smiled. "Sorry. I don't even really remember _you_, but you shouldn't be apologizing. I'm fine now." A sudden strange thought popped into his head. "Wait. Does that mean that my dad was a Shinigami? Did I know that already?"

Masaki laughed quietly at the shocked expression. "Yes. Isshin is a Shinigami, although he never told you. Actually up until yesterday, his powers had been sealed."

"Unfortunately I was jst getting ready to leave.. Sorry, I would really like to spend more time with you and my... family; but I still have my duties as a Shinigami to fulfill. I don't know if I'll get assigned here again anytime soon, but I'll ask my captain; he's pretty understanding."

"Ok Ichigo. I'm just glad so see that you're safe and happy." She smiled at him as she stepped back, joy flowing though her as her son smiled back.

The white-blue glow of the senkaimon appearing and the black butterfly that came to rest on his shoulder alerted Ichigo of his departure time. He turned and started walking away from Masaki. Stepping though the portal he faced her and calling out "See ya... Mom." before the doors silently slid closed and disappeared.

Fighting back bittersweet tears Masaki swallowed, trying to ease the lump in her throat. "Will we ever see him again, Isshin?" Masaki turned to the bearded man who had walked up behind her.

He rested one arm over her shoulders, sharing her emotions of love and loss. "Of course we will Masaki. Of course we will."

* * *

There you have it! Thank you for reading it and please review.


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